What Was Supposed to Be a Friday Roundup

Dentist
Photo: CoolDad

Stuff That Caught My Eye

Just a little roundup of some stuff that I've been meaning to post about over the last few days / weeks. I was all set to get this out on Friday, but half-days for the cooldaughters and early carousel shows got the better of me.

ManDancing, Everyone Else

At the beginning of the year, I shared "broken" from ManDancing's Everyone Else. The song encapsulates the feel of the entire record in that Stephen Kelly's singer / songwriter introspection comes through, while Ben Petty's hand in production plus a full band often take things from the personal to the universal. Opener "shows," for example starts quietly before blooming into something more explosive by its end.

The record maintains its very personal feel by creating moments when you feel like Kelly is in the room with you. Someone presses record, and you can hear Kelly take a deep breath before he begins ("cigs (cigarettes)," "reprised (ocean)") or just get himself settled ("(lit) ocean"). Then comes a big flourish and all of those inner feelings are turned out on the listener.

I mention this album now not only because it's definitely worth a listen, but also because it's been re-released by new, small label Little Game Records. Lucas Dalakian of ROMP and Matt DeBenedetti of Toy Cars teamed up to help some bands they believe in produce physical releases, and Everyone Else was their first.

I'm a little late to the game on this as a super-limited run of 25 tangerine cassettes came out in April, but you can go see if they've still got some.



Colton Kayser, "Save My Soul"

Jersey Shore singer / songwriter, Colton Kayser, is nearing the July 30th release of his sophomore LP. Last week, Kayser released the second single from A Place to Settle, "Save My Soul."

The sentiment of "Save My Soul" is something I can identify with as Kayser vows not to succumb to "death through productivity" and, instead, pursue his passion. Alt-country can often focus -- and to great effect -- on bitterness or anger, but Kayser subverts that a bit by opting for a positive take on the typical kiss-off.



Kino Kimino / Son Of Stan, "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"

Kino Kimino's Kim Talon teamed up with Son Of Stan to produce this cover of Sophie B. Hawkins's ubiquitous in 1992 hit, "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover." The fact that the object of Hawkins's obsession in the song is a woman was considered so controversial by MTV 24 years ago that they quite lamely banned the original video for its "erotic content." That couldn't stop the song from reaching the top 5, though; and if you were within earshot of a radio or TV back then, you could not miss it.

This version reworks a definitive 90s hit, accentuating its droning keys and staccato guitars and making it sound like something that could have been produced 5 or 10 years earlier. The replacement video featured Hawkins performing in torn jeans and a plaid flannel, but those 90s trappings hid a solid 80s groove. That's there in force on this version complete with a brief callback to Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."

Kino Kimino's Bait Is For Sissies is out now and the band play Shea Stadium on July 3rd.



Dentist, "Joel" and Ceilings Stream

I can't let a Dentist release go by without a mention, so here I mention that, last week, our friends released the third single from their upcoming Ceilings which is due this Friday, June 24th, via Little Dickman Records.

On "Joel," singer / guitarist Emily Bornemann sings of not wasting time worrying about what others think of you. Every moment spent dealing with that crap is a moment you'll never get back. And there's probably somebody who thinks you're pretty cool: Your cat? Yourself even? Maybe?

The song starts off with a tired, almost exasperated feel, before picking up into something significantly more forceful and take-charge.



Just as I was getting ready to write about "Joel," Dentist began streaming Ceilings in its entirety over at The Le Sigh. It's a great pop / rock record dealing with all the things you've heard on Dentists' singles -- falling for the wrong person, the futility of constantly chasing a good time, dealing (or not) with the perceptions of the outside world. The songs are also just catchy and infectious, blending Emily's dreamy vocals with the sometimes more in your face and aggressive sounds of the band.

Go stream it and familiarize yourself with the whole thing before heading to The Saint on Friday, June 24th, for the release show with GayGuy/StraightGuy, Darkwing, and Yawn Mower. If you're in the city, you can catch Dentists' NYC release on June 25th at Berlin with Best Behavior, Dead Stars, and Lightning Bug before they head out on a tour of the midwest.